Upstream-flowing Rivers: The Rāmakṛṣṇavilomakāvya of Daivajña Śrī Sūrya Paṇḍita

The category of palindrome compositions (vilomakāvyas) undoubtedly represents one of the most peculiar examples of poetic mastery in Sanskrit literature. Beside their surprising formal elaboration, this kind of poems are also able to express the most complex contents. Clarifying their place amongst the “pictured poems” (citrakāvyas), we will analyse their subdivisions, definitions and common devices, and we will furnish a general background to the topic to enter the poet's laboratory. We will present the work done in India studying one palindrome poem almost unknown to western scholars: the Rāmakṛṣṇavilomakāvya was composed in the 16th century by the astronomer Sūrya, and despite its brevity (it contains less than 40 verses) it stands as a monument of this genre of poetry. Narrating the adventures of the two most famous avatāras the poet discloses a high number of metres and tricks and in his auto-commentary to the text demonstrates a subtle knowledge of vaiṣṇava philosophic issues. For its extremely refined technique and for the poetic manifesto contained in the commentary it is clear that this work deserves more attention and possibly a more accessible edition.